Gloria Contritum SSHG
by Severus Sortiarius
Summary: Following an attack by both Voldemort and Nagini, Severus Snape finds himself at The Crossroads hovering between life and death. He is given the chance to go back through his "Miserable Life" before he makes the hasty decision to move on, at the behest of Albus Dumbledore, certain that his miserable life held no significance for anyone...Snape decides to take him up on his offer...
1. Prologue:When Venom Burns Slow

_**Gloria Contritum SSHG**_

 **A SS/HG fanfic by Severus Sortiarius**

 **A/N:I OWN NOTHING, This is for my amusement and others if you feel so incline to venture with me...The Characters and all rights Belong to J.K. Rowling, but I like to venture into her playground...particularly when it comes to a certain Potions Master...No Money is being made off this...and I'm quite alright with that...Stress relief and letting my imagination run wild is all I care about here...and of course Reviews...I'll try and watch my spelling but it does tend to go awry in the heat of the moment when typing so bare with me...RATED M and it's not changing...I won't be as descriptive as some other writers out of respect to the characters, but I will make them HUMAN.**

 **{A/N: This is another dark one, you've been warned}**

 **{Following an attack by both Voldemort and Nagini, Severus Snape finds himself at the crossroads hovering between life and death. He is given the chance to go back through his youth before he makes the hasty decision to move on at the behest of Albus Dumbledore...certain that his miserable life held no significance for anyone other than those that used him for their own means...Snape takes him up on his offer...}**

 **{"I'm not awake. I'm slowly burning away...I'm not OK. I'm falling flat on my face...Down on the pavement, I'm fighting the weight...I'm not awake. I'm slowly burning away...Sometimes I feel like I can't wake up!...I'm trying to breathe...I wanna let go, so I can feel again...} Slowburn Rev Theory**

 **WARNING: Contains Mature Content...M FOR MATURE,**

 **My thanks to all my Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.**

 **Prologue** **:** _ **When Venom Burns Slow**_

 _The Shrieking Shack, Hogwarts Grounds, Scotland..._

 **T** ears continued to stream down the sallow pale cheeks of a figure clad in ebony robes amid the old wooden floor boards in the old shack that had been on the grounds of the most prestigious school in the entire Wizarding World. The usually cold obsidian eyes that had shed them had seen their fair share of pain of torment. A life time's worth if one was truly honest. There were so many faces. So many dark places that not even the most well versed witch or wizard had known about within this world that use to spell safety to the dying wizard.

His raven hair had been soaked at the ends from the blood gushing freely from the wound about his pale neck. The warmth of it's sticky crimson mixed in with the cooling air of shack. Outside the battle for the fate of the wizarding world had been taking place. One last battle in the lengthy two term war that the dying wizard had been fighting for much of his young life.

As his breaths became more shallow and the coldness set in his weary mind drifted back to the miserable life that had been granted to him. He had no wife to mourn him or any children of his own to carry on his name. His bloodline would end here on the floor as forgotten as the wizard himself once the outcome of the war had been decided.

He had given his life to Hogwarts.

It seemed fitting that he died there.

He would have smiled at the irony in the notion that a poor, muggle raised, half-blood like him would become the Headmaster of such a prominent school. He had been teaching her since he was in his early twenties and now not even out of his thirties he would die here. The numbness of the poison had started working. He could feel it in his toes as the sensation ceased all too slowly.

At least he wouldn't have to suffer the cold for long.

The last thing he had seen other than the interior of the dingy little shack had been the emerald green eyes of the boy he swore to protect. The boy whom all his fighting and planning had been for. Harry James Potter.

Twisted irony so cruel in its perception had placed the child of one of the few men he hated more than he had ever loved anyone in his entire life under his protection. James Potter had taken the one person for whom he would do anything for. In a sense he had taken his life and any hope for a better future.

The dying wizard had long thought he had died that Hollows Eve night 17 years prior when he looked into Lily Evans-Potter's lifeless emerald green eyes and it seemed his body was finally catching up.

A final twinge of pain.

The fair well portion most likely as the venom reached his slow beating heart.

His ebony clad chest rose and fell in slow breaths growing slower still.

The sounds of battle had been nothing more than fireworks at a going away party by now.

At the final moment the dying wizard grew puzzled when he noted the sorrowful look on Miss Granger's face. She had not taken her eyes off him until Weasley pulled her from the room for fear of approaching death eaters. The whole scene had been so pathetic in his mind. He could only imagine what nonsense _The Daily Prophet_ would say after he was gone.

 **Revererd Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore's murderer Headmaster Severus Sebastian Snape dead at 38. Death eater Headmaster and former Head of Slytherin was reportedly killed by a serpent, the emblem for which his respective Hogwarts house represents. He was said to be surrounded by sentimental Gryffindors at the time.**

He would have laughed at that. Had he not been losing consciousness. The miserable life of Severus Sebastian Snape came to an end on a lonely wood floor in a forgotten shack that had nearly been the sight of his demise at the age of 16. More twisted irony for the masses. No one would mourn the passing of a murderous death eater like him. He had been called heartless and cruel. To many he had been nothing more than a bully and they'd be happy to be well rid of him. Given his hand in the murder of Albus Dumbledore his death was as much a boon as Voldemort's demise was perceived to be during the first war.

Not one soul would shed a tear for the wear man clad in ebony that once inhabited the dungeons. There was a portrait commission to be painted of him for the Headmaster's office. He doubted it would see the light of day, perhaps they would use it to decorate an empty cell in Azkaban.

Without much ceremony Severus Snape's world became nothing. No pain. No memories. No life.

"Severus." said a familiar pleasant voice. "Of course someone will mourn you."

Choosing to keep his pale eyelids closed in a bid to rush his inevitable death Snape tried to ignore the familiarity of the voice that called to him.

"Severus." it said again.

Annoyed that even on the brink of death he could have no peace his obsidian eyes sprang open and he came face to dace with none other than Albus Dumbledore, his victim and former employer.

"There are plenty of people who have loved you Severus." he said in his usual pleasant tone. "You just never paid any attention to them...your self loathing had gotten in the way."

"Sod off old man." snapped the dying wizard. "Save your Gryffindor delusions for someone that cares...I know what I am."

"Do you?" asked Dumbledore with an arched eyebrow.

"Yes." replied Snape in an icy tone. "I am your murderer."

"That is not true and you know it." said the older wizard in a pleasant tone.

"What isn't true about it?" asked Snape still icy. "I cast the curse...I took your life...you are dead because of me."

Dumbledore sighed.

"I see it is going to take quite a bit of work to convince you." he said.

It was Snape's turn to arch an eyebrow though it had been painfully so and with a good deal of effort. The poison was being pumped all through him but at a surprisingly slower rate. No doubt the old coot's doing.

"Convince me of what?" he asked.

"That there is someone that cares for you...my boy." said Dumbledore. "That there is still a reason to fight."

"You're wasting your time old man." said Snape bitterly. "There is no such person."

Dumbledore consider this a moment and then sighed.

"I'll make you a wager then." he said.

This seemed to peak Snape's interest. It wasn't as if there was anything else going on and his death was mighty slow.

"You have my attention." he said in his usual baritone drawl.

"I propose we view your so called "miserable" life and see if we can find such a person." said Dumbledore. "If there is even but one life that you have managed to touch with your existence then you are to take up one last fight for that person's sake."

"And if you cannot find such a person?" asked Snape.

"Then you are welcome to a peaceful end without any more interference from me." said Dumbledore.

Snape considered this. He could have just said no and let the venom take him, But the curiosity of this one person's identity peeked his interest.

"You have a deal." said Snape.

"Thank you my boy." said Dumbledore with an eerie twinkle behind his familiar blue eyes.

Apparently he had not lost the ability to unnerve him even in death.

The next thing Snape knew he was rapidly losing consciousness but it wasn't the familiar blanket of death. It was magic that had caused this, strong and ancient magic.

What Dumbledore had in store for him he would soon find out.


	2. Chapter 1: A Deal's a Deal

**Chapter 1: _A Deal's a Deal_**

 _ **{"Show me what it's like...To be the last one standing...And teach me wrong from right...And I'll show you what I can be...Say it for me, say it to me...And I'll leave this life behind me...Say it if it's worth saving me..."} Savin' Me Nickelback**_

 _Unknown Location, Unknown World..._

 **T** he first thing Snape had noted as he opened his obsidian eyes was that he had been standing in a space where there was nothing but white light as far as the eye could see and various clocks all stopped at _6:00PM_. Albus Dumbledore's looming figure had been standing over him clad in the purest white robes that the younger wizard had ever seen. The old man's hair had been white as usual as well as his extraordinary beard that dangled along the front of his robes. He wore two golden rings on each hand one in the shape of the sun and the other of the moon. His head had been bare unlike in life he wore no hat. His jovial disposition had not been misplaced either.

Snape had found that he had been stripped of his usual ebony robes and frock coat with trousers. He glared at Dumbledore who obviously had a hand in choosing to put him in a short sleeve open collar white shirt with equally white trousers and white boots. luckily for the Potions Master, his raven hair had been left alone. He had been stunned to see the dark mark no longer blackened his right forearm. In a bid to confirm what his eyes had seen he ran his smooth pale fingers over the blank pale flesh of his arm.

"Come along, Severus." said Dumbledore in a pleasant tone.

Snape sighed and found it was easy to get up off the floor. All the numbness of the poison had gone as well as the gaping wound about his neck. He stood on his feet finding the room much more impressive from the right side up. He strolled beside Dumbledore as he often had during their time at Hogwarts.

"I don't suppose you know who is winning the war?" asked Snape causally.

"Who won you mean." said Dumbledore.

"Won?" asked Snape confused. "It's already over?"

"Indeed it is my boy." said Dumbledore. "And we have you to thank for the dark lord's defeat."

"Defeat?" asked Snape stunned. "Potter's done it?...he's defeated the dark lord."

Dumbledore smiled and put a hand on the younger wizard's shoulder.

"We have defeated Voldemort." he said pleased. "You had a hand in the despot's demise as well, don't forget that."

Snape almost smiled as the relief flooded through him. At least he had done one thing right in his existence. They continued to walk until the familiar images of what appeared to be an old pound came into view. Snape glared at Dumbledore as annoyance filed across his face.

"You have got to be kidding me." he said.

"I'm afraid not." replied the old wizard. "This was the only opening I could find."

"I nearly drowned in that blasted sewage!" said Snape.

"Hence it's usefulness as a window of opportunity." said Dumbledore pleasantly.

Snape's eyes widened at what his former employer was getting at.

"There is no way in hell I am going through all that again." he said folding his arms across his chest.

"I'm sorry Severus but it's part of the wager." said Dumbledore.

"The implication was that I would be viewing my miserable life not relieving every painstaking minute of it." said Snape irate. "I had not particularly enjoyed it the first time."

Dumbledore shrugged.

"I don't make the rules." said the old wizard.

"No." said Snape.

"You've already agreed." said Dumbledore. "It's out of my hands."

"There is no way I am going through all that again." said Snape. "I'd rather let the snake kill me."

"I'm sorry Severus." said Dumbledore. "But rules are rules."

Snape suddenly felt what he believed to be the ground below his feet open up and in seconds he was free falling down into nothingness. He had been enraged that Dumbledore even had the gall but then again he should have expected it. Even in death Albus Dumbledore was manipulative old fool.

Unable to do anything but free fall Snape found himself splashing into the dark murky pound that he had been looking at with Dumbledore back at the strange place decorated in white. He found that his lungs burned and his body felt heavy once again. He wore a torn and tattered suit jacket, mismatched socks, thin soled shoes that were in desperate need of polish, and a now soaked heavy yellow shirt that had been two sizes too big on him. His thin frame had been visible against the surface of the green water and his short shaggy raven hair had been seeped in algae.

The taste had been horrible like oil and tar mixed with dirt and urine as if flowed into his mouth. There was a burning sensation in his nose as the water threatened to fill his sickly body. The only thing that enabled him to make it to the edge of the pound was the seething rage he felt making the blood in his veins boil. He propelled himself like a great rocket filled to bursting from the murky depths and onto the strip of land.

It seemed as if steam had been coming off him as he coughed up the toxic water spitting it in various places on the ground. He stood up finding that his height had greatly diminished and his build had gone from hard lean muscle to sickly thin. The pale hue of his skin had been more prominent and his abnormally large nose had been the worst of his features. The hard lines of his aged and weary face had gone replaced by smooth baby soft skin covered in slick pond slime.

His heart had been pounding as he realized just what all this meant.

He as once again an eight year old boy and he would soon be on his way back to Spinner's End.

The old coot had dropped him off in the year 1968.

The summer of 1968 before he had met Lily Evans and her sister Petunia.

Snape would have laughed if he could. The old wizard wanted to show him that someone did care for him during his miserable existence but he chose one of the worst years of his life to began his little assessment. A year shy of meeting Lily and three years away from receiving his Hogwarts letter.

Eight year old Snape sighed and looked up at the evening sky. He was nearly late and his father did not like it when he did not get back to the house on time. Fear filled him and a knot formed in the pit of his stomach. He knew what was coming next. He had vaguely recalled showing up just one minute shy of the time he was suppose to be in the house.

With one last look at the sky Snape took off as fast as his small legs could carry him...toward home...toward Spinner's End.


	3. Chapter 2:Spinner's End

**Chapter 2:** _ **Spinner's End**_

 _ **{"Oh, dear mother, I love you...I'm sorry, I wasn't good enough...Dear father, forgive me...'Cause in your eyes, I just never added up...In my heart I know I failed you, but you left me here alone...If I could hold back the rain, would you numb the pain?...'Cause I remember everything...**_

 _ **If I could help you forget, would you take my regrets?...'Cause I remember everything..."} Remember Everything, Five Finger Death Punch**_

 _ **Warning: Contains Child and Spouse Abuse...**_

 _The Snape residence,Spinner's End, Muggle England..._

 **C** louds of gray had seemed to always loom above the horizon at Spinner's End. There always seemed to be a fog of misery that loomed over the ominous rows of dilapidated brick terrace built houses. The old mill had been an eyesore as much as it had ever been since the doors had closed and textile production had ended. The river that had brought so much life to the small town of Cokeworth, England. Snape had always thought the name he had given it in the form of Chokeworth strangely appropriate as it appeared that all the life was being slowly drained from the town. His father had even said so once when the boy was about the age of six and had been asked by a wondering traveler what the name of the town he lived in was called. His father had gotten a good laugh out of it and called it Chokeworth ever since. It seemed to be the only time Snape seemed to have made the man happy and the last sadly.

The air had been rancid as green smog seemed to loom in the air as he approached the black river spewing its swill into the air. Litter and garbage had lined the banks further contributing to the rancid atmosphere. He seemed to have forgotten just how much the place reeked when he was a child. His body had been sticky from his trip into the pound and he was beginning to turn red from the rash he was breaking out in.

A feeling of unbelievable dread filled him before he took the first step onto the stone porch. No sooner had the eight year old boy's small pale fingers touched the cool brass of the door knob, it swung open. The scent of strong whiskey hit him before he could even see the tall muscular form of Tobias Aaron Snape.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up." he said in a bitter tone.

Severus had known what was coming next. He always knew and did nothing to brace himself just the same.

It was not a surprise when Tobias took a swing at him and knocked him to the ground. Severus scrambled to his feet and darted toward the stairs. The much taller and stronger man pulled him by his ankles and did nothing as the boy's head hit against the bottom step on the way down. Once again Severus scrambled to his feet.

Snape knew this was only going to make him more of a target but the fear coursing through him as well as the fact that his magic had not manifested yet in a child's body was more than enough to make him terrified. As an adult Snape could easily kill his father or bind him to a wall with a simple binding spell. Had he been able to use his magic there would have been so much that he could have done.

Upon hearing the distress of her son, Eileen came from the kitchen. Her torn and tattered yellow dress with red flowers printed on it had been seeped into her son's memories for the rest of his life. Upon seeing her Snape burst into tears as it had been years since he had seen his mother. The last time had been when he arranged for her burial before returning to Hogwarts at the age of 16.

She had been more beautiful to him with her sallow pale cheeks sunk in from lack of sustenance and her messy raven hair in a wayward pony tail that dangled to the small of her back and her sorrowful obsidian eyes than any woman of considerable health or money. She stood before him her apron in front of her dress every bit the idea wife of the 1960's with little to no formal education aside from her time at Hogwarts and no ambition beyond cleaning her sorry excuse for a home while taking care of her good-for-nothing abusive husband and sensitive, accident prone son.

"That's right you sniveling brat cry for your mommy." taunted Tobias.

Snape glared at the bastard excuse for a father he had. He longed to put that infernal rat, Tobias in his place. If only he could...The Potions Master recalled the incident with absolute clarity. This was the day his powers first began to manifest. The day he finally put the over stuffed brute in his place if only for a short time.

Tobias smacked him across the face causing the boy's ears to ring and his face swelled from the heat of the blow. Eileen made her way over toward the angry man trying her hardest to get him to stop harming her son.

"Think you can disrespect me you little shit?" asked Tobias grabbing Severus by the collar. "You think your old enough to defy me?"

Snape had been more than annoyed with having this nonsense play out all over again but there was nothing he could do except glare into the dark brown eyes of the man that was abusing him. He refused to shed any more tears in front of the brute. He would not give him the satisfaction of his humiliation.

"Tobias, stop it your hurting him!" shouted Eileen.

This small act of defiance would not go unpaid for as the brute back handed her with such force that she fell and hit her head on the nearby wall on the way down. The sight of his mother being struck by the obnoxious brute made something in Severus Snape as he glared at his so called father. His body felt hot as his blood boiled in his veins.

Tobias had smirked.

"You upset that I put the woman in her place?" he asked. "You gonna do something about it sniveling brat or just stand there and stare at me?"

"Leave her alone." said Severus still feeling his blood boil.

"Or what?" asked Tobias. "You disrespectful little..."

He had not gotten a chance to finish as he was hit with a powerful wave of red energy. The brute had been cast into a nearby door effectively taking it off it's hinges.

Eileen had come to and found her son radiating what appeared to be magic.

"Severus?" she said stunned. "What have you done?"

He looked at her confused as to what happened for a moment before every thing suddenly went blank.

Later...

Severus came to and found that he had been in his own bedroom and safely tucked into bed. He had been cleaned from his pound incident and dressed in at least clean clothes despite them not being in any better condition than the previous attire.

The house had been quiet as Snape made his way out of bed and down the stairs. Everything seemed to be normal. He thought to check on his mother. She had taken quite a few blows from the drunken brute before he was put in his place. He crept toward his parents bedroom door but was turned around when he heard the familiar squeaking noises and the headboard beating against the wall.

As a boy it scared him to hear such sounds and he quickly made his way back to bed hoping that Tobias would be gone before he awoke the next morning. This was going to be along summer he could tell. So far he had been nearly killed in a scum filled pound and beaten by his father and all before he sent the brute flying with the first manifestation of his magic. This was turning out to be a living nightmare.


	4. Chapter 3:Sinister Kid

**Chapter 3:** _ **Sinister Kid**_

 _ **{"A Sinister Kid, Is A Kid Who...Runs To Meet The Maker...A Drop Dead Sprint From The Day He's Born...Straight Into The Maker's Arms...That's Me...That's Me...The Boy With The Broken Halo...That's Me...The Devil Won't Let Me Be..."} Sinister Kid, The Black Keys**_

 _ **{A/N: Severus Snape was born in the 60's so I decided to add some 60's feel to The Potions Master's tale}**_

 _Summer of 1968, Cokeworth, England..._

 **S** everus had gotten up early that morning. The shiner that decorated his right eye had been courtesy of his father's ill temper. The boy had been use to being a minor punching bag though his mother had absorbed the brunt of the blows given his small size. He wore a sleeveless black shirt and faded black jeans that seemed to really show off his thin frame. On his feet were what use to be white trainers as he made his way out into the open morning air. He had not liked being anywhere near Tobias come morning and there was hardly any food in the house to eat breakfast. Eight year old Severus Sebastian Snape made his way down the half empty street where he met up with another local boy aged 16 by the name of Flint McCormick. Known to the adults as Johnathan Richard McCormick the boys around Chokeworth called him Flint due to his fascination with setting fires with a piece for flint that he carried in his pocket.

Flint was a tall and fairly thin young man who liked to wear leather and slick his short brown hair with grease. He liked to listen to what was referred to as Rock n' Roll as well as R&B. His favorite singer had been the man referred to as Elvis Presley. Flint would often imitate Elvis when walking about the streets singing his favorite tunes and talking like the guy.

Severus had thought it funny on occasion.

Flint had been the kind of guy that looked after the little kids on the block and they all flocked to him as if he were king of the neighborhood. Well he was in fact king of the neighborhood. His father had been the chief executive at the textile mill before it closed down.

Snape had rushed over toward the street he knew Flint would be making his way down. He had been pleased to see his old friend alive and well. Flint had been the very first person to take an interest in him outside of his home life. Flint knew all about what it was like to have your old man belt you a few times because the wind blew in the wrong direction for him. It was one of the few times Snape had identified with anyone.

As he rounded the corner, Flint came jukeing up the street his leather jacket flapping behind him with his hair all greased up. He was accompanied by Shades, a kid Severus hardly knew whom had been blind since birth, Knuckles, a kid who prided himself on having the toughest knuckles on the block, quite formidable in a game of bloody knuckles if Snape recalled correctly, and Shrub nicknamed so due to his small stature and age.

Flint had only nicknames for the kids he considered to be cool. Fortunately for young Severus, he fell into that category.

"Hey Sinister, you ready to go?" asked Flint looking at the boy with bright brown eyes.

Snape made his way over toward the group.

"Nice shiner you got there kid." said Flint observing Snape's bruised eye.

"It's nothing." said Severus in an emotionless tone.

"It's nothing." said Flint causally shaking his head. "Can you believe this guy?"

The others laughed as Flint tussled Severus' shaggy raven hair.

"You got guts kid." said Flint with a smile. "And a lot more heart than anyone your age."

The group continued on down the street.

It was looking to be one of those hot days as they continued toward their destination, an old abandoned storefront. Snape had often liked dark and hard to reach places to hide from Tobias. It wasn't until he met Flint and the others that he found hiding from the sweltering heat to be just as significant.

It was their own private place away from the more drab parts of Spinner's End. Flint mostly came here to hide from his drunken old man and nagging mother. Snape could sympathize a great deal with the elder boy though the others could not.

"Hey turn on the radio Shrub." said Flint. "Find me something good this time."

Flint put his feet up on makeshift desk they had taken from one of the offices in the abandoned textile mill.

Severus had thought Flint McCormick was the coolest guy in the world. He didn't need to be a famous singer or a flashy dancer or movie star. All he had to do was be himself and he had earned the young boy's respect. Flint was the first one of a few people to outright earn Severus Snape's respect it seemed he was hard to please even as a boy.

Flint sent the others on various errands to help improve the club house.

Snape had not been bothered to be alone with the elder boy. He had not done anything to break his trust in him. He had even enjoyed being alone with the older boy. It always meant Flint was going to say something that he knew would go over the other boys' heads.

"Hey your old man give you that shiner Sinister?" he asked with a hint of concern in his tone.

Severus nodded.

"I gave as good as I got." said the eight year old.

Flint smirked.

"Really?" he asked.

"Sure." replied Severus.

Flint nodded.

"If you say so." he said turning his attention to looking over the bruise. "Better slap some meat on that or it'll linger."

"W-We don't have any this week." said Snape looking at the hard wood floor.

Flint sighed.

"It's been a rough week for us all." he said. "Still a kid like you with no meat, no wonder you're as thin as a flagpole."

Snape rolled his eyes. Which caused Flint to laugh and tussle his raven hair.

"You know what little brother...I'd hate to see what you'd be like all grown up." he said. "Possibly a forced to be reckoned with."

Snape sighed inwardly as he looked upon his first real good friend. Flint had never wanted anything from him or forced him to do anything. He simply enjoyed the younger boy's company. It was as if Severus was easier to talk to for a guy like Flint.

"You and me we're kindred spirits." said Flint chewing on a wooden toothpick. "A life outside these brick prisons is what you and I are destined for."

Severus had not been too sure about that. He didn't think there was anything special about him. Flint maybe. But not him.

"What makes you say that?" he asked still making conversation.

"I don't know." said Flint getting to his feet. "It's like I can feel it...you and me aren't going to be in this dump of a town very long."

Snape had known all too well that Flint's prediction would come true. He would eventually leave Spinner's End and venture to Scotland to attend Hogwarts but not before Flint would make his exit from Cokeworth in the summer of '68. The younger boy had always admired Flint McCormick. from the flashy yet laid back way he carried himself to the almost hidden compassion he expressed when he was dealing with "his boys."

Later that summer...

It had been another sweltering night as the heatwave that had taken hold of Cokeworth had finally reached it's end. Severus had found it difficult to sleep. The Snape residence had been oddly peaceful for once. A feeling that unnerved Severus the longer the night dragged on. Dread filled young Severus despite all of this and he found himself getting dressed and climbing out his bedroom window. He had been careful not to disturb his parents as they slept.

Young Severus made his way toward the street he always knew Flint would come from on their walks. He had not known why he decided to venture there but he couldn't stop once he got going. He wanted to see Flint. There was something ominous in the air that he had to tell his friend about.

As he walked he heard shouting.

Apparently, Flint's father had gone on a drunken rampage and Flint had had enough. His father responded by grabbing his pistol and shooting the young man in the chest in the middle of the street where they argued. Severus had arrived just in time to witness the shooting and the subsequent end of Flint McCormick.

The charismatic teen lay out in the middle of the street. His white t-shirt stained with various pools of blood and burns from the bullets. His hair had still been slick from the grease and his face twisted into a grimace of pain.

"W-What are you doing here Sinister?" he asked trying to make light of the situation despite the screams and panic in the background.

"I-I didn't know what else to do..." stammered Severus stunned by what had just happened.

Flint smirked at the boy.

"GO home Sinister." he said coughing blood. "There's nothing more you can do for me."

Severus simply stood there unable to help or take his eyes off his ailing friend.

"S-Sinister...Severus." said Flint more serious. "You're not going to die in this piss poor town...you're destined for great things..."

Snape had known all to well what his friend meant. Hindsight was still a very effective tool when it comes to the mind but one is always unable to do anything once the moment passes.

"You're the coolest guy I know...don't let Toby push you around." said Flint as the flicker of death became known in his sad brown eyes. "See you in the funny papers, Sinister."

With his last light hearted jest he was gone.

Severus watched him take his last breath and his world seemed to have shattered right there on that street. Flint's body would be the first of many that he would see but never the last.

The following weeks Severus had been unable to get back to his original expressive self. He became more withdrawn and spent most of his time reading books and locked up in his bedroom. He had made up his mind that he wasn't going to let "Chokeworth" take his life the way it did Flint. He was going to get out of this town if only to prove his dead friend had been right about him.


	5. Chapter 4: Evolution Of The Half-Blood P

**Chapter 4:** _ **Evolution Of The Half-Blood Prince**_

 _ **{A/N : Short Chapter}**_

 _Spinner's End, Cokeworth England, Muggle World..._

 **T** ime had a funny way of making even the most dreary of days seem hopeful. Severus made his way into the crumbling shack that had been his home for much of his early life. He had just celebrated his Ninth birthday, though one could hardly call being shut up in one's room with a worn old book a celebration. He had continued to show signs of magical capabilities and it seemed to worry his mother to some degree as she went about covering up the many mishaps that would take place whenever her son either lost his temper or became too excited, thought the latter was rare. Eileen decided that it was time to drop one of the biggest bombshells that would change the course of her only son's life forever.

Snape knew this talk well. It was the first time his mother had confessed to being a witch. She enlightened him of his magical lineage and of the school located in Scotland where all magically gifted children venture when their powers start to fully manifest. A school which would become the only real home the young raven haired boy has ever known.

When Severus arrived he had been startled to see his mother sitting at the kitchen table in the dark. At first he believed that something had been wrong with her. Then she simply looked at him with a flicker of life behind her usually cold obsidian eyes. A small smile filed across her weary sallow pale face and she motioned for him to join her.

Finding it rather hard not to exercise caution Severus made his way toward his mother and took the empty seat at the table. He had not known how long Tobias would be gone but he didn't want to be in sight of the brute when he returned. Still his mother looked like she had something very important to say.

"Severus." she said serious in all manner. "What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room."

Severus sensed that this was quite an important topic.

"I won't say anything mother." said the raven haired boy.

Eileen gave him a half smile and placed a hand on his above small wood table.

"Severus, you and I come from a very powerful and magical lineage." she said.

"M-Magic?" asked Severus confused. "L-Like the kind in those stories you use to read to me when I was smaller?"

Eileen smiled.

"Watch." she said softly.

Severus watched his mother wave her hand and the glass vase that held a handful of dead field flowers floated into the air and dumped themselves into the trash can. The were a gift from Tobias after one of his usual late night drinking brawls. The raven haired boy marveled at the sight of the almost light blue waves that seemed to roll off his mother's pale fingers.

"This is called wandless magic." she had told him. "It is the only form of magic I am able to do and takes a great deal of concentration to gather my magic into my fingertips as a focal point."

"Wow!" said Severus stunned.

His obsidian eyes widened with excitement.

"C-Could I do that?" he asked.

"It's possible." replied Eileen "Although, I would not recommend it...I use it as a last resort."

Severus arched an eyebrow at this. Possibly the first time he had ever done so in his youth.

"Why is it a last resort?" he asked.

Eileen went on to explain her situation and how she had left behind her dying family of _Pureblood_ wizards in a bid to marry Tobias for love and how it all turned out wrong but she had been happy in a sense that she had him and he had been of magical blood like her. Severus had been reeling from all that she told him but continued to listen respectfully.

"Hogwarts is the school you will be attending once your powers fully manifest." she had told him.

"Hogwarts?" asked Severus.

Eileen smiled warmly at her son for the first time in a long time.

"Hogwarts, School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry." she said. "You'll get a letter once you reach the age of 11."

"11?" said Severus stunned. "T-That's..."

"In three year's time." said Eileen.

Severus could hardly believe it as she continued to explain witches and wizards to him. She had mentioned Slytherin house and that there was a good chance that he would be sorted into it by something called a "the sorting hat" and how she had been a Slytherin herself. The boy had been quite enthralls with tales of magic and color beyond his imagination.

Snape recalled how it all sounded like a muggle fairy tale.

That night when Tobias went on his drunken rampage, it was the visions of Hogwarts that had given the young soon to be wizard peace. He had dared to dream of a place far beyond the walls of this dilapidated house and the sewage filled streets of Spinner's End. It seemed that Severus was indeed going to get out of Chokeworth just as Flint had told him he would. All he had to do was survive this cesspit for three more years. Three more years and he could go to Hogwarts and become a wizard.

The next day she began his lesson in controlling his magic. It took her a week to show him the fine art of potion-making.

Eileen had not only been pleased with her young son's aptitude for potions but he was fast becoming a quick study in all things magic. Severus had been rather pleased that he and his mother shared something that not even Tobias could take from them. The ability to do magic only served to strengthen the bond between mother and son.


	6. Chapter 5:Light In The Darkness

**Chapter 5:** _ **Light In The Darkness**_

 _ **{A/N: Everybody knows how Snape met Lily...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Reader And Reviewers...Enjoy S.S**_

 _ **{"Uptown Girl...She's Been Living In Her Uptown World...I Bet She's Never Had A Backstreet Guy...I Bet Her Momma Never Told Her Why...I'm Gonna Try For An Uptown Girl...She's Been Living In Her White Bread World...As Long As Anyone With Hot Blood Can...And Now She's Looking For A Downtown Man...That's What I Am"} Uptown Girl, Billy Joel**_

 _ **B**_ y the time Severus was able to grasp the concept of his new life, the nine year old he had a pretty basic grasp on his wayward magic and knew a great deal about the wizarding world. He had thought it strange that he had not seen hide nor hair of any one else exhibiting magical prowess but he was quite pleased to find that he had been special among even the more well adjusted residents of his neighborhood. One afternoon, Tobias had thrown him out of the house it was better to make himself scarce then than stick around to incur the drunken brute's wrath. He had not known the exact reason why he had been cast out but it was better not to in those days. The nine year old made his way to the very place where he was destined to meet Lily Evans who would eventually grow to become Lily Potter, the mother of Harry James Potter.

Snape had been fortunate not to have to reply the entire introduction over, it had pained him enough to see Lily like he always remembered her. The sweet little emerald eyed girl with strawberry hair. His mother had approved of his friendship with Lily, siting it as good for him, if only she knew. Petunia had still been as bossy and annoying as usual clearly jealous of the kinship Snape had with Lily due to their magical prowess. Most days Young Severus played instructor to Lily teaching her to control her magic as his mother taught him.

Her father had not liked the look of him from the moment he showed up on their porch to ask for Lily to come and play. He had thought the entire aspect of "playing" trivial but Lily had told him it was the only way her father would understand why she was hanging around with a boy from Cokeworth. Like usual Severus stood on the porch and awaited his Lily's emergence from outside the good conditioned white house with various colorful flowers and a cement path.

 _Open field, Unknown Location, Muggle World..._

Severus watched Lily run about giggling as girls often did chasing a blue butterfly that fluttered about without a care in the world. She turned toward him, her amber eyes filled with such innocence. One of the few times he had recalled her looking like that. She ran over to him her cotton dress moving as much as she did with her lengthy hair in bouncing curls.

"Sev!" she said grabbing his hands. "Come on!"

Snape had saw no reason for anyone to run about like fools but he knew the minute he looked into those emerald eyes he would do anything she asked of him. Anything at all. Her power over him had still be puzzling when one thought about it in hindsight. Had the Dark Lord known he might have spared her and possibly used her to secure his undying loyalty as Dumbledore had done. How different the wizarding world would have turned out.

Unable to resist her, Severus began running about with the giggling witch finding some of her light hearted spirit had seemingly rubbed off on him. After some recovery from a fit of giggles, Lily had the bright idea to watch clouds. Severus had not seen the point of such trivial things but it seemed to make her happy that he agreed.

They had only been observing the sky for about thirty minutes before she suddenly turned to him.

"Sev, will you be my boyfriend?" she asked.

Severus had no idea what a boyfriend was but he knew what ever Lily Evans asked of him, he would comply.

"I-I...sure." he said.

"Great!" said Lily crushing him in an overly affectionate hug. "Thank you Sev, you're the best boyfriend ever."

Severus had never been hugged before that moment and it was the most awkward thing that he ever had to endure still being on the ground but Lily didn't seem to mind.

They went back to watching the sky but this time she reached between them and grasped his pale hand.

"I better not see you talking to any other girls." said Lily narrowing her eyes at him.

"Why not?" asked Severus with an arched eyebrow.

"I don't know." replied Lily. "That's what Mommy always says to Daddy."

"Don't be ridiculous, I have to talk to another girl in a bid not to appear rude." said Severus.

Lily narrowed her emerald eyes at him.

"Fine." she conceded. "But you better not have any other girlfriends."

Severus sighed. He had not even known what she was asking of him and wished he could talk to Flint about it.

"I promise I won't have another girlfriend if you don't have another boyfriend." he said he had no idea how Slytherin his statement had been back then.

"Deal." said Lily.

They spent that afternoon running about and looking at strange plants that Severus knew so much about from his mother's old books that she had since her potions class at Hogwarts. He liked to familiarize himself with them even at the worst of times. It seemed to develop enough into a hobby for him to share it with Lily.

She had been happy to discover new plants with him and even helped him keep notes on them. He should have realized that she would become as bossy as she had in their later years but at the time there was no one else whom he would rather spend time with.

At the end of the day he walked Lily home and she hugged him like before only it had been less awkward since they were both standing.

"Bye Sev." she said happily, "See you tomorrow."

"Bye Lily." he replied.

They parted ways with her going into her house with her nice family and him making his way back toward Spinner's End.


	7. Chapter 6:Enemy,Thy Name Is Potter

**Chapter 6:** _ **Enemy Thy Name Is Potter**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's Another Update...I know...took me long enough...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Reader And Reviewers...Enjoy S.S**_

 _ **B**_ y the time Severus and Lily got their long sought Hogwarts Letters, It had been like something of a dream to finally leave behind that cursed mill town and venture into the elegant halls of Hogwarts. Severus had been pleasantly surprised by all the food and books he could get his hands on. The first day he had arrived he had been sorted into Slytherin House while he watched Lily Evan get sorted into Gryffindor. The young Slytherin had never felt more alone than when he had been directed to the dark and mysterious dungeons while Lily had been ushered into the pristine tower. He said very little about his experiences with The Bloody Baron trying his hardest to scare him and the other first years. The crotchety old ghost had been rather stumped when it came to Severus Snape, it seemed the young lad had been immune to his tactics. Snape later explained to the ghostly baron that after living with Tobias Snape on a drunken warpath, there was nothing that could have actually frightened him into wetting his bed. At least not without some enormous effort.

The days seemed to roll on by with Lily meeting him in the courtyard every morning and they went over their studies and split off again when breakfast came to rejoin each other at the lake or in the library. Lily had been eager to learn new things, especially if those things related to charms. Severus himself had not been too keen on wand waving but he found Potions more to his liking despite Professor Horace Slughorn, whom had also been his Head of House, being a complete bore in terms of lecture.

Before Severus and Lily knew it, they were both heading into that awkward stage between childhood and being an adult. Snape had not particularly liked this stage of his life and it became even worse to have to endure it all over again. The shy book oriented Slytherin had began to look a bit out of place with his unsanctioned growth spurt causing him to need to be refitted for clothes, his acne had been the worst case yet as well as his frequent tendency to grow facial hair at the drop of a hat.

Lily had not much liked kissing Severus when his face was "all scratchy" and she had only kissed him in private. The held hands every so often or he would continue to carry her books. The onset of puberty had been a nightmare for the already socially awkward Slytherin, he found that he had been in possession of a rather freakishly large cock, and often had numerous dreams in which he would use it to pleasure Lily with despite knowing very little about the process.

The sweating had been the worst, causing him to have to take showers quite often in a bid to stay ahead of Potter and his annoying friends' jokes. The young teen wizard's hair had been another issue, growing to the point that it often covered his face, save for his abnormally large nose. He had been the butt of many a joke due to his less than savory looks and often by the Marauders whom had come from well off families and possessed a reasonable amount of looks with the exception of Peter Petigrew whom Snape often referred to as "rat-boy" when annoyed.

Severus Snape sighed knowing all too well what was coming as he found that Dumbledore had been keen on letting him relieve each and every painful moment of his past as well. Of course he chose to start at the beginning of his rivalry with James Potter's escalation.

 _The Grounds,Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World (1976)..._

Severus had been walking with his hands buried in his pockets as Lily prattled on about her new schedule and what she was majoring in. He had not always paid close attention to what Lily said and listened just enough to respond according to her follow-up questions. She had been smiling as she lead him across the grounds toward the lake. It had been their favorite meeting place since they arrived attracted by how it reminded them so much of the eerie black pond back home where they often met to talk or play.

Upon returning to Hogwarts from the summer, Severus and Lily's relationship had changed a great deal. They had not merely been friends as many of the other students and staff assumed. They had been lovers and had been since the summer's end. It had happened so fast the brooding teen had no time to tell his best friend that his mother had been killed upon their return to the school.

Lily had told him that what happened that summer was just between them. She made him promise that he wouldn't tell anyone especially not his Slytherin housemates. He kept his promise but wondered if that was all she had intended for their relationship to be like. His fears were quelled once he showed her to an old classroom where no one could find them, not even the staff, as it had been forgotten when the castle was renovated since the previous regime before Dumbledore became Headmaster.

Severus had been pleased to have a safe place to be alone with Lily here at Hogwarts. It had been like a second home to him since he was a boy.

Finding that they had been alone, Severus stole a kiss from the beautiful red head witch and she playfully smacked him across the arm. He kissed her again and she reluctantly pulled back.

"Sev." she said as if trying to catch her breath. "You promised."

Severus sighed.

"I was only trying to show you affection." he replied. "But...you're right I'm sorry."

Lily sighed.

"I don't mind it really." she said taking his hand in hers. "But..."

"Not at school." he replied.

Lily flashed him a weak smile.

"Sorry." she said.

Severus flashed a weak smile of his own.

"It's fine." he replied. "But I have a request."

Lily arched her eyebrow at him.

"It's about our next class with Flitwick." said Severus holding up his hands. "I have no idea how to properly do this spell."

He pointed to the spell in the book and she smiled. Lily had been more than happy to demonstrate school work no matter the setting.

"Well first show me what you've got." she said. "Then we can work on your form from there."

Snape nodded.

He got to his feet and attempted the aquatic spell for summoning a sphere. Unfortunately, he lacked grace at this stage in his life, something that would come as a shock to his later students if they had known. He nearly fell over when he attempted to flick his wand to summon the spell. Lily giggled lightly and got to her feet. She made some adjustments to his posture and held his wand hand while they attempted the movement and wand motion together.

Across the lake, James Potter had been fuming as he watched Lily Evans, the girl he had his eye on in a rather intimate position with the Slytherin Snape. He began making plans to put Snape in his place for trying to put the moves on a Gryffindor witch. He of course gave no thought to Snape having known the girl first.

Later that year...

Severus had made the biggest mistake of his life when James Potter had him strung upside down at that very lake. He had been surrounded by a sea of Gryffindors all laughing and chanting "Snivellus Greasy". To further add insult to injury, Potter stripped him of his clothes in front of Lily. The humiliation and the rage all bled together and he uttered the words that he could never get back in the mix of those churning emotions.

The distraught teenage Slytherin had been ignored at his every attempt to get Lily to speak with him. To make matters worse, Lily had gotten closer to James Potter and he had even caught the two of them snogging in full view of everyone else in the school. The accursed Marauders cheering them on.

Severus weathered the storm of his battered young heart for much of the year since Lily stopped speaking to him.

He had learned that his life held little meaning even to The Headmaster after Sirius Black tricked him into nearly being killed by Remus Lupin whom had been a werewolf this entire time. As if life had not been a big joke played on him, James Potter playing hero and saving his life from the vile beast only served to allow him to score even more points with Lily.

 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle..._

Severus had been sitting in the Infirmary for well over two hours as Madam Pomfrey examined him. His face had been more pale than usual and his eyes had been filled with tears that didn't fall as if they had been some how stuck in place. In truth, the boy had been numb after his ordeal and had not made a sound since. The kindly old med-witch that had been seeing him through a number of his scrapes and bruises over the course of his Hogwarts career had tried to get him to eat or drink but there didn't seem to be any urge for either.

"Mr. Snape..." she said in a mother-like tone. "You must eat something."

Since the incident at the lake where Severus had come in with a few minor bruises, the Med-witch had not seen his little friend Lily Evans. It struck the med-witch as strange that the little red haired girl would just abandon her friend in his time of need.

Severus simply stared off into space trembling as if he had been nearly frozen to death.

"Mr. Snape...I don't know how to help you." said Madam Pomfrey.

She noted Dumbledore had spoken to the boy and then nothing.

Severus simply sat there silent as he stared out into the room lined with empty beds. He of course had been imagining the relief that had been on his mother's face the last time he saw her on the kitchen floor covered in blood. He wondered if he too would find relief it he were to just stop breathing. Would the pain in his chest subside and his broken heart mend from Lily's abandonment? She had been with Potter now. The only friend he had managed to make in his entire life. She had been his girlfriend. His only girlfriend. With his looks he had been no fool, not very many witches would look his way even from his own house.

As he sat there in the chilled room, a different kind of coldness began to seep into the very core of his being. He had been fighting against the Slytherin recruiters that had been trying to get him to join their death eater ranks. He knew Lily would not approve of his alliance with such people. They had gone so far as to threaten his mother the year before.

Though he feared for his mother's safety, he had not wanted to do anything that would make Lily leave him. It had been a moot point with her being in Potter's arms. While he sat there in the infirmary terrified out of his mind due to the antics of Potter's sadistic friend Sirius Black. He had hoped the Headmaster would at least be sympathetic, as he had nothing left to lose...his life had not been worth much of anything and if he died in the dungeons trying to resist the inevitable, who would mourn him?

Severus simply sighed as Madam Pomfrey helped him lie back onto the bed and she pulled the covers over him as if he had still been a child. Her worried expression had been lost in the wake of his realized fears. Had he taken the time to see, or rather had Dumbledore not shown him that he had been out of options, then perhaps he would have known just how much the old Med-witch cared about him.

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Snape had been stunned as he watched the old Med-witch care for him all over again.

"Poppy." he said in disbelief. "But...why?"

Dumbledore smiled as he stood next to the now adult Potions Professor.

"She has always had something of a soft spot for you Severus." replied Dumbledore. "And let's not forget..."

"Flint." said Snape thinking back to the charismatic teenager.

"Hey hello to you too Sinister." said the voice of the charismatic teen. "You've grown...a lot over the years."

Snape turned from the view of his younger self and Poppy to see the teenage Flint McCormick standing in the same space as he and Dumbledore.

"I told you you'd get out of that town." said Flint with a measure of pride in his voice.

He walked over to Snape and ruffled his raven hair much as he use to do when they hung out in Cokeworth.

"You're getting to be an old man." said Flint still musing a bit. "I'd never thought I'd see the day...well technically speaking I haven't but you know what I mean."

Snape smirked.

"It's good to see you old friend." he said.

Flint nodded.

"Hey...Sinister, I'm awful sorry things didn't go so well with that Lily chick." he said with sympathy. "You know dames ain't always what their cracked up to be."

"Tell me about it." said Snape with a sigh. "But that's all water under the bridge now."

"I guess." replied Flint. "You sure took a few lumps and I don't mean from just your old man."

Snape nodded.

"It certainly looks that way." he replied.

Dumbledore smirked.

"You see Severus that's quite a few people that love you already." he said. "Mr. McCormick here, your mother, Madam Pomfrey...and so far the list has only grown."

"What are you talking about old man?" asked Snape still rather skeptical. "Aside from Poppy, mother and Flint, no offense, died years ago."

"That's still three people that loved you Severus." said Dumbledore.

The Potions Master rolled his eyes.

"And here comes one more." said The Headmaster looking into Snape's life.

"What are you talking about?" asked Snape. "I don't see any..."

Dumbledore chuckled as he watched Snape scramble to get a sense of where he had been dropped next. Flint smirked as well as he watched his old friend from afar.

"I don't think he was expecting this." said Flint.

"Not at all." replied The Headmaster looking on.


	8. Chapter 7:Of Knives, Serpents, and Lion

**Chapter 7:** _ **Of Knives, Serpents, and Lions**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's Another Long awaited Update, Had a lot of work for the past two weeks and my new nephew was born on the 10th...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Reader And Reviewers...Enjoy S.S**_

 _ **{"I let myself fall into a lie...I let my walls come down...I let myself smile and feel alive...I let my walls come down...No matter how I try I don't know why...You push so far away...You wrapped your hands tight around my heart...And squeezed it full of pain...With this knife I'll cut out the part of me... The part that cares for you...With this knife I'll cut out the heart of me...The heart that cares for you..."} With This Knife, Smile Empty Soul**_

 _ **B**_ eing dropped from such a height or whatever it had been did little to aid Snape from his apparent skepticism that this little game of Dumbledore's was going to be worth anything when he came out on the other side of it. Speaking of which, Snape found himself once again in the body of a rather disgruntled teenage version of himself. It had not been long after Lily decided to take up with Potter, and various bottles of imported muggle rum had been empty around his semi-limp form. Snape had noted just before he landed in the unfortunate sod's body that he had been bleeding about the wrists. He had vaguely recalled his first and last attempt at blatant suicide, his efforts thwarted by a very unlikely source at that time. A source that would be a remaining staple in his life until the day he would be struck down in the shrieking shack.

His vision had been blurry when a pair of sorrowful green eyes seemed to bare into the very deepest parts of his tainted soul. At first he had been filled with fury believing the emerald green gaze belonged to the very witch that had caused him to take such a drastic step. But he his rage seemed to take a backseat to his shock when Gryffindor Head of House Minerva McGonagall appeared in place of Lily as his vision cleared.

"Mr. Snape..." she had said then nothing as he blacked out from the loss of blood.

{Minerva.} thought Snape recalling what had happened. How could he have forgotten?

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 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

Severus Snape had been quite angry when he awoke to find the green eyed Gryffindor witch glaring at him. Her arms folded across her green clad chest as she studied the ever brooding teenage Slytherin. She had not completely gotten over the shock she felt when she found him passed out in the lonely corridor, hardly ventured by anyone except her when on her lonesome walks about the castle. She had simply gone to have a moment's peace when she stumbled upon the tragic sight of a drunken and apparently embittered Severus Snape passed out amid the rows of empty bottles.

Feeling rage surge through her, she had attempted to confront him on the grounds of his underage drinking and demand to know the source from which he had gained his illegal wares. Then she had taken not of the blood. There had been so much of it. As she got closer she took in the faint glow of light that had come from the tip of the blade also stained with unmistakable crimson.

Acting immediately, she used her muggle and magical expertise to sustain the boy until she could get him into Poppy's more capable hands.

At the moment, she had been simply angry that such a promising and vastly talented young wizard would resort to such drastically inept measures over a bit of teenage angst.

"W-What am I doing here?" he asked his face in a grimace of disgust.

Minerva's own disgust seemed to mirror his as she looked upon him.

Her green eyes filled with a quiet rage that he had never known her to be capable of possessing.

"You are here, Mr. Snape...because you did a very foolish thing." she replied not at all hiding the disgust and rage in her tone.

Snape's eyes widened at first in fear and then shock.

"Y-You had no right..." he began feeling his anger take hold.

"No." said Minerva in a stern tone, almost chilling as she glared at him. "You had no right to deprive the wizarding world of such a unique talent due to some tempered teenage angst...I thought you above all of such childish things Mr. Snape...according to your own House qualifications...you've behaved like a irrational Gryffindor."

Snape narrowed his eyes at the Transfiguration Professor.

How dare she call him a stupid Gryffindor.

"It seems you were placed in the wrong house if you cannot control such trivial teenage inclinations." replied Minerva.

He had not known that she had been truly afraid for him, given that he had no one to offer proper guidance once he left Hogwarts Castle.

"I am not some brainless Gryffindor prat...you must be confusing me with your precious Potter and Black." replied Snape with his eyes still narrowed at her.

"We'll see." replied Minerva.

She took her leave of him, knowing all too well that he'd survive just to prove her wrong. And of course she had been right. She had always been right. It had taken the small reflection to come to terms with it. Snape found himself at Gimmauld Place for the first time after his stint in Azkaban. Mad-Eye Moody had been chief interrogator especially when it came to him. The old goat had beaten him rather mercilessly that night and three days before hand hoping to break him after the murders of James and Lily Potter. Snape had been more or less embittered by the loss and Mad-Eye had little to no patience for his lack of cooperation.

Dumbledore had saved him from certain execution at the hands of the gruff wizard, a bitter disappointment to the young Slytherin if ever there any. He had been hoping for a quick end. Instead he was brought to Sirius Black's ancestral home, a running joke if ever there had been any. Where he was inducted unofficially into the Order of Phoenix, as Dumbledore's token Death Eater spy.

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 _Fall 1981, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

Severus had not spoken much to any of the order members, the sadness from Lily's loss and the guilt of it being his own fault saw to his less than tactical retreat from any sort of conversation or warmth around him. He mostly stayed in his assigned room until after hours. He belonged to Dumbledore now and there wasn't much he could have done without the expressed permission of the Headmaster. The dour young Slytherin thought it best to keep out of the way and made as little noise as possible when he moved about the house while everyone slept.

He had not noticed Professor Minerva McGonagall in cat form as she watched him move about the halls. He had been sitting rather quietly in his assigned room for three hours before everyone went off to bed. His curiosity had gotten the better of him and he moved about the darkness with relative ease, as if he had been apart of the shadows all his life, in a way that had been true, hiding and cowering in the dark had been something of a second nature to him.

Minerva mused that he had been like a cat himself, frightened by every other sound or shadow cast near his direction. Most of the time his fears seemed to be unfounded, then came an unexpected and enraged aspect of his fear that had truly been warranted. The cat's eyes picked up the sight of the gruff and bulky interrogator before Snape's acute hearing could. In a fraction of a second, Severus Snape found himself thrown into a nearby wall shaking the decorative little knickknacks that had been casually dusted on and off since the order's arrival.

Severus let out a jolted gasp as he found himself staring into the enraged face of "Mad-Eye" Moody.

"You may have everyone else fooled you little shit...but you don't fool me." he growled bitterly.

The younger wizard had been helpless as the older and enraged wizard threw him about tipping over the dinning table.

Severus had been silent outside of occasional silent gasps and groans. He did not put up a fight when Mad-Eyes's fist collided with his face nor did he try and get away when the older wizard slammed his head hard against the nearby wall.

The force of the blow had taken him back to when Tobias use to beat him in the family kitchen back at Spinner's End. It seemed rather fitting when Mad-Eye pushed him inside the Black's family kitchen and he landed against the refrigerator.

There was blood.

He had not been sure how much as the older wizard clearly smelling of whiskey and heavy tobacco continued to beat him. What happened next stunned him completely as he noted the powerful swirl of magic and Mad-Eye being pushed into a far way by the gust of power that had swept passed them.

He heard the words finally reaching his ears after the flash of light finished.

 _"EXPELLIAMUS!"_ shouted the voice of none other than Minerva McGonagall.

Her green robes billowing in the projection of magic.

Severus' eyes widened as he took in the sight of the formidable Scottish Professor. His mind evidently fractured by the weight of his guilt and the heavy blows made it almost impossible to distinguish this woman from the woman whom he wished his mother had been. She had saved him. She had saved him from the drunken brute.

She made her way over toward him a look of utter concern etched across her usually stern face.

"It's alright Severus..." she said softly. "He's not going to get the chance to hurt you again."

With his vision out of sorts in the wake of the pain, Severus Snape slipped out of consciousness.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 _Later..._

When he awoke he had been trembling from overwhelming fear and the gruesome effect of his night terrors. He found that he had been in his assigned bed in his assigned room with the soothing voice of an older witch at his side. The feeling of loneliness and weighty loss had overwhelmed him and the tears streamed down his sallow pale cheeks without his consent. He was filled with shame and disgust at his own emotions.

"Severus." said the older witch.

His vision blurry due to his tears. He missed his mother, he missed having someone give a damn wither he lived or died or at least pretend to. The tears kept coming as his mind drifted back to Lily and her shimmering emerald eyes in the summer afternoon sun.

"Let it out Severus." urged the older witch. "You've been holding everything in for far too long."

More tears came at her urging.

"I-I'm sorry." he said softly anguish in his tone.

"It's alright." she said soothing him with little to no effort. "It's all going to be alright."

"I-I didn't mean to cause trouble." he said still in that soft tone. "I-I just wanted...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry it should have been me..."

"Severus...what happened was not your fault." said Minerva in a mother-like tone.

He knew it wasn't true but it had still been nice to hear. For once he let himself bask in the delusion of it not being his fault. He had known how much she loved her Gryffindors, and he wasn't one of them. She had clearly been right to hate him all those years. He was bad. As bad as Mad-Eye and Tobias ever said he was. They knew. They knew it before he did and had been right all along.

"I-I'm not a Gryffindor." he said softly as if he had been a disappointment to the older witch holding him.

"It doesn't matter Severus." she replied softly. "You are a very scared and hurt young man...and as your former Professor I should have been more understanding when it came to your pain...what Alistor did to you was unacceptable."

Severus said nothing as he took in the warmth from this older witch, this Gryffindor witch...his former Professor. The floodgates had been open and he wept like a child as Minerva McGonagall held him in her arms.

That night had not been spoken about aside from Mad-Eye's harassment of the young Slytherin. Professor McGonagall decided to take a special interest in Severus...ideally due to the boy being a bit of a mirror into her own private pain. She taught him a bit about life and how to make something of it despite the tragic circumstances here and there. As a result, She had become the mother he never had, the true embodiment of all of Gryffindor in his eyes. In gratitude for her giving him a second chance, Severus Snape made a solemn vow to earn her respect if it killed him. He would be the kind of man she always said he could be...But hopefully nothing like a Gryffindor.

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 _Summer 1984, Wizarding World..._

The Order Members had been out numbered 7 to 3. The tedious task of Death Eater clean up had come with the few short battles over the years. Severus had proven to be a valued assets to the group despite keeping his distance. As a result they had been informed of a minor Death Eater gathering in the eastern quadrant of the wizarding world. Upon arrival a fight broke out and the order members found themselves being overwhelmed.

Seven death eaters to the three Order members that arrived in the form of Minerva McGonagall, Arthur Weasley, and Mad-Eye Moody. Severus Snape had been kept at Grimmauld Place for informational purposes only, that and Mad-Eye still did not trust him not to fight alongside "his death eater buddies".

As time passed, Severus got the feeling that Minerva had been in very real danger. He quickly sent a message to Dumbledore about the battle and immediately took off for the location. He had not been thinking as he gripped his wand tightly in his pale hands. He had been suppressing his warring emotions as he moved about the field noting the vibrant display of magical light stemming from the battle.

His heart beat thunderously in his chest as he made his way to the battle.

He noted the death eaters, none of them had been anyone he knew nor anyone he particularly liked.

Then his obsidian eyes settled on the battling form of the older witch clad in green. She had been holding her own for a time and then...she had been caught off guard. In a fraction of a second Severus had been between her and the oncoming spell. It stuck him square in the chest and bought enough time.

"SEVERUS!" she shouted in shock.

The young Slytherin scrambled to his feet and unleashed a curse of his own.

 _"LEVICORPUS!"_ he shouted.

The attacker was hung upside down in the air.

Another death eater advanced on him.

 _"SECTUMSPERA!"_ he shouted flicking his wand as the death eater dropped to the ground with many cuts and gashes about his body.

Minerva gripped her wand and put down the other death eaters.

Severus found himself feeling his knees buckle as the other death eaters were felled by the newly arriving order members after receiving his message to Dumbledore. The Headmaster and Minerva made their way over toward him while the other's did the "clean up".

"Severus." they both said in union as they checked him over.

"I-I'm fine." replied the younger wizard gritting his teeth.

"By the looks of it I'd say you were poisoned." said Dumbledore. "What happened?"

Minerva recounted the tale of Severus coming out of no where and throwing himself between her and the curse from the bastard intent on killing her.

"N-No." replied Severus recalling whom the death eater had been that he had in the air. "D-Dolohov...just a burn...deep burn."

They got him back to Hogwarts and he made a full recovery, only it left a very nasty scar on the front of his chest. He had not seemed too put off by it. He had been well on his way to collecting a good deal of scars.

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Snape shook his head, he never would have guessed that Minerva McGonagall had loved him. Although looking back he should have. It seemed rather selfish of him to opt for such a quick end with so many people affected by his loss. One of which had been his highly respected colleague for years...she had suffered a great deal of loss and his death would only add to her tremendous amount of pain.

"Alright old man." said Snape rolling his eyes. "What else is there for me to see?"


	9. Chapter 8:The Formidable One

**Chapter 8:** _ **The Formidable One**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...late post...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Reader And Reviewers...Enjoy S.S**_

 _The Infirmary, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World..._

 _ **U**_ nbeknownst to Severus Snape, sorrowful amber eyes had been watching him. The Potions Master had been carefully laid out in bed with crisp white sheets and an even more bright white comforter covering his broken battle weary form. The constant beeping and buzzing had been the only sound that filled the room next to his labored breathing as the bushy haired witch continued to watch him. She had not honestly known what had compelled her to come to this place day after day and look over the sleeping wizard. The anguish of the final battle had still been felt even one month after the decisive conclusion. She still had been in a state of shock when she and Harry both raced back toward the shrieking shack and put Severus Snape under stasis before heading off to face Voldemort. It had been a largely unspoken thing between them as they returned to find him still clinging to life despite the powerful venom and the serious amount of blood loss.

The two of them wordlessly levitated the dour wizard needing to save him for reasons they dared not share with one another. Once they got him into the infirmary, Harry persuaded Madam Pomfrey to do him a favor and do whatever she could to ensure that Snape survived, and to keep his apparent state a secret. At first the old Med-Witch had been skeptical, recalling how Harry informed the entire school of Snape's betrayal and murder of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

When the green eyed Gryffindor explained that Snape had been acting on the older wizard's orders, she pledged to help, but it had been a long way from clearing the broken Slytherin's name. Harry and Hermione agreed to visit Snape in shifts whenever the other had class or needed to offer assistance elsewhere.

Tears streamed down the pale cheeks of a silent Hermione Granger as she continued to watch over the sleeping Potions Master. She had seen first hand the many scars that Snape had when assisting Madam Pomfrey with his care. She wondered about each and everyone of them but knew that to get the story she would have to ask the man himself. She had not held out much hope about him giving her an answer to her numerous questions even as she dipped a sponge in water and gently wiped away the sweat and soot from his battered lean pale form.

"I'm so sorry." she said softly as she saw no sign of even a conscious twitch from the ailing wizard.

"Me too." said the voice of a sorrowful Harry Potter as he entered the infirmary.

His emerald eyes never leaving Snape but the concern had been etched across his own pale face.

The grim atmosphere of what the war had left behind still seemed to burrow itself into the very core of their being as they stood watching him.

"D-Do you think he'll ever awaken?" asked Hermione not at all looking at Harry Potter as her amber eyes remained on Snape, his lean chest rising and falling with each aid given breath.

"He's got to." said Harry more than determined to see the Potions Master back in his previous state of living.

The tears continued to trickle down Hermione's cheek as she recalled just how Snape ended up in this position.

 _( The Shrieking Shack had been an ominous place before the war, with Sirius Black and Professor Lupin making their way to the now ghastly place. The scent of old wood and mountains of dust had not been pleasing either. Hermione Granger had huddled in the darkness beside Harry Potter, whom had taken the lead in following the seemingly unawares Potions Master, Ronald Weasley, and Voldemort, accompanied by Nagini._

 _Harry had been bitter about Dumbledore's death and quite angry with Snape as a result. Hermione herself felt a bit indifferent, while she had been floored by Dumbledore's loss her ever functioning mental capacity had been at the helm when she went with Harry to the Shrieking Shack. She couldn't seem to understand why, after all Snape's years of service to Dumbledore, and his status as Spy within the Order of Phoenix, not to mention his apparently close ties with the staff of Hogwarts, would he betray them all for a snake-faced lunatic whom feared death as well as his own shadow._

 _None of this made any sense to her that night as she watched Snape seemingly stare out into the looming sky, his sallow pale face truly a sorrowful sight. They had merely seconds before Voldemort arrived and she noted instantly that Snape had been aware of their presence. He caught sight of Harry first and simply put a finger to his lips. The gesture startled Harry and Hermione both as all the rage seemed to dissipate in that instant._

 _Maybe it was force of habit. Maybe it was blind instinct but trusting Snape in that moment had been the difference between life and obvious certain death when the leader of the death eaters came slinking into the shrieking shack, his hideous pet snake slithering along the dusty wooden floor boards._

 _It had been clear that Voldemort had been upset about the Elder Wand not responding to him as he had anticipated. Snape who's spine had been laced with steel seemingly since the day of his birth had done a mediocre job of feigning fear of what was about to come, it had been as if he had known all along what Voldemort had been planing and awaited the outcome patiently, playing his part one last time._

 _"The wand does it truly answer to me?" hissed Voldemort in a sort of patient yet enraged tone. "Where does it's true loyalty lie?"_

 _Snape placed his hands behind his back signaling them to stay put._

 _"With you of course, my lord." replied Snape like a good little soldier._

 _Voldemort looked upon Snape with a kind of gesture akin to pity._

 _"The elder wand cannot serve me properly because I am not it's true master." replied the despot. "The elder wand belongs-s-s to the wizard who killed it's last owner...you killed Dumbledore, S-Severus-s-s...while you love the elder wand cannot truly be mine..."_

 _As Voldemort rambled on, Hermione noted the strange expression file across Snape's sallow pale face as if he had been bracing himself for some violent impact._

 _"You have been a good and faithful s-s-servant, S-S-Severus-s-s, but only I can live forever." continued Voldemort._

 _Snape continued to behave as if he knew nothing about what Voldemort had planned for him._

 _"My lord..." he said, his final words to the despot._

 _Hermione had not been sure but she believed there was a hint of gratitude in his tone despite the horrible ordeal that would follow._

 _Voldemort slashed his throat via magic and Snape's weakened body dropped to the floor with a thud that sent chills down the bushy haired witch's spine. His gasp at the impact while his crimson blood spilled all over the hard dust covered floor had made her heart stop. More fear had gone through her like ice water in her veins as she heard the hiss. The distinctive and merciless hiss of Nagini as the greedy snake coiled ready to strike._

 _Hermione had not realized she had been holding her breath as she heard the command from the despot to his accursed familiar._

 _"Nagini, Kill." the words had seemed to stop time as they were uttered._

 _The strikes came in rapid succession, punctuated by the frequent thuds of Snape's weakened body against the structure that held the young Gryffindors from the despot Voldemort's view._

 _One._

 _Snape's body hit against the mercifully build structure that obscured the despot's view of them._

 _Two._

 _Followed by a choked out gasp from the Potions Master._

 _Three._

 _Tears had begun to fall from a shocked Harry Potter's emerald green eyes._

 _Four._

 _Tears were streaming down Hermione's own pale cheeks._

 _Five._

 _It amazed her that he had made no sound other than the gasps which were no doubt painful and equally involuntary._

 _Six._

 _The number of times had been all together inhumane._

 _Seven._

 _Even Ron had been stunned into tears. He had resented Snape for much of his life and could not imagine a worse fate for anyone._

 _Eight._

 _The despot and his serpent left the shack without so much as a backward glance. Snape's blood had been everywhere as his body continued to twitch from the pain and venom. Harry had been the first to go to him as if compelled by something without name. His heart had been beating rather frantically in his chest. He had hated this man his whole life and now...now he found himself fearful for the first time as he looked upon him in a pool of his own blood._

 _There were no words as he quietly kneeled beside the ailing Potions Professor. An understanding between them that not even Hermione could decipher._

 _Tears streamed down the broken wizard's face as freed himself from all the emotions he hid behind that clever mask of indifference. So many questions ran through Hermione's mind. She didn't doubt the same about Harry as he tried to stop the bleeding with his own hands not at all giving a moment's pause with this helpless Slytherin in need._

 _"T-Take them." said Snape struggling amid the gurgling blood that oozed from his mouth._

 _Harry had been a bit numb to the scene of his dour Potions Professor with tears streaming down his sallow pale cheeks. It had been sobering to see that after all those years of hate and calling him a dungeon bat, Severus Snape was indeed human and felt real emotions just like him._

 _"T-Take them please..." said Snape pleading._

 _Hermione rooted through her pack and produced a small flask and Harry quickly collected the fresh tears that streamed down Snape's cheeks._

 _"T-Take them to the pensive..." he instructed his former student one last time._

 _Harry had not known what to say. He had not been the only one shocked into complete silence. Then Snape said something that changed everything._

 _"Y-You have your mother's eyes." said the Potions Master as he drew what would have been his final breath had Harry not impulsively cast a stasis spell._

 _It had been the first time Snape had said anything about his mother. For years Snape compared him to his arrogant bully father but never once said a word about his mother...now to hear that Snape seemed to have known her too after all these years his tone had been fond and almost whimsical despite his condition. Harry had to know more. The questions that burned in his mind much to great to just let this man go._

 _Hermione had felt the same simultaneously casting the stasis spell with Harry to ensure it held while they were away. Snape had been a mystery as far as she was concerned but there had clearly been more to it. }_

"He's going to have to be moved." said Hermione wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I know." replied Harry, "I plan to take him to Grimmauld Place, I can look after him there."

"Y-You plan to do this alone?" asked the bushy haired witch slightly resentful of Harry trying to take Snape away.

"He doesn't have any relatives..." said the green eyed wizard.

"What about the Malfoys?" asked Hermione. "They were close you know."

"No." replied Harry a bit bitterly.

"Harry." said Hermione.

"I said no...I don't want them around him." said the green eyed wizard. "Besides...they have their own problems with trying to stay out of Azkaban."

"But..." began the bushy haired witch.

"Nobody else is going to get Snape." said Harry with a look of determination filed across his pale face. "He's coming home with me and that's final."

Hermione sighed. Harry was quite impossible to reason with these days.

"Fine." she replied folding her arms across her chest. "But I'm coming too."

Harry had been stunned by her words.

"Hermione..." he began.

"I said I am coming Harry James Potter." said Hermione with a look of determination of her own.

It was Harry's turn to fold his arms across his chest.

"Fine." he replied. "But...don't get in the way."

Hermione rolled her eyes. She had no idea what Harry had planned for Snape but she knew she was going to be with them in that rather large old house left to him by Sirius Black, the former Headquarters of The Order Of Phoenix.

To be honest she had not known why she had been so desperate to go to 12 Grimmauld Place with Snape and Harry, but it seemed she couldn't or rather didn't want to be away from the dour wizard. Not when she had grown so accustomed to seeing him everyday even in his comatose state. Both Gryffindors continued to watch the sleeping wizard hoping against hope for a sign of life from him. The past month had been nerve-wracking to say the least.


	10. Chapter 9:Good Times Gone

**Chapter 9:** _ **Good Times Gone**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...late post...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Reader And Reviewers...Enjoy S.S**_

 _ **{"Lost it on the chesterfield...Or maybe on...A gamblin' wheel...Lost it in a diamond mine...It's dark as hell...And hard to find...You can climb to the...Top of the highest tree...You can look around...But you still won't see...What I'm lookin' for...Where the good times gone?...Where the good times gone?...All the stupid fun...And all that shit we've done...Where the good times gone?...Well I still don't know..."} Good Times Gone, Nickelback**_

 _Unknown Location, Unknown World..._

 _ **A**_ sea of nothingness had surrounded Severus Snape as he awaited his next great adventure in the form of Albus Dumbledore's mediocre tour of his life. To his surprise the old Headmaster had a virtually sorrowful expression plastered across his face. Snape arched an eyebrow at this change in demeanor as he looked into his former employer's unsettling blue eyes. They had not appeared to lose their trademark twinkle even here. Flint McCormick had been standing by with a smile on his face as he looked back n forth between Snape and Dumbledore. The eerie happiness had been most unnerving to the Potions Master.

"Well Sinister, it looks like it's time to say good-bye." said Flint walking over to the taller and much older raven haired wizard.

"Good-Bye Flint?" said Snape curious. "As I recall your final words to me were and I quote "See you in the funny papers."

Flint smiled at his old friend and took the time to ruffle his lengthy raven hair.

"You always were a smart arse kid." he said pulling a random cigarette from behind his ear and placing it between his lips. It had been the same brand that Snape himself had taken up smoking after he reached the age of twelve, and of course it had been when Lily wasn't around. "I've missed that about you."

"Well, I learned from the master." replied Snape flicking his thumb like a hitchhiker toward Dumbledore's direction.

This earned him a chuckle from Flint.

"Do you recall the conditions of our wager Severus?" asked Dumbledore.

Snape sighed.

Of course he had, he wasn't prone to losing valuable information, he had been a spy for Merlin's sake.

"Obviously." muttered Snape annoyed that he still had to endure these antics.

"Good." replied Dumbledore. "Then you are half way thought to preparing yourself."

This statement caused the Potions Master to arch his brow in that familiar way of his.

"Prepare myself?" he asked in confusion.

"There are others that love you, you know." said Dumbledore not at all answering his question, a typical notion on the part of the elder wizard of course. "A good deal of people one might say."

"And your point being?" replied Snape in a bored tone.

It was clear that he had enough of this game, especially of he had already been beaten.

. As Snape stood looking about the strangely white space he found himself conceding that perhaps Dumbledore had been right. He had indeed won the wager about people that loved him proving there had been more than one person in the process. The unnerving twinkle behind Dumbledore's blue eyes had not gotten any easier to deal with least of all pleasant as he stood looking him over.

"So what do you want of me now old man?" asked Snape not at all liking that he had been beaten in the wager.

"Me?" asked Dumbledore with a pleasant smile as eerie as the twinkle behind his eyes. "I want nothing from you Severus, not anymore...in fact I have come to release you."

Snape arched an eyebrow at this.

"Release me?" he asked as if the words had been foreign to him.

"Yes, my boy." replied Dumbledore pleased. "You are a free man now Severus...the conditions of your service to me have been met and the war is over."

Snape sighed.

"A lot of good being free of you will be given the situation you found me in old man." he grumbled.

Dumbledore had not lost his pleasantness.

"You know Severus, I shall miss you." he said in a father-like tone that would have sent chills down Snape's spine had he still been able to feel it.

He had a terrible feeling about Dumbledore's next dropping point.

"I trust you can look after yourself from here" he said with a pleasant tone. "Enjoy your new life Severus."

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

 _Unknown Location, Wizarding World..._

Before Snape could react to the ground opening up at his feet, the Potions Master was treated to a white light washing over him. His eyes opened and he found himself in the company of a sleeping bushy haired witch whom had been laying with her head rested on his apparent bed. The Potions Master had attempted to move his heavy body but found that he could not.

All at once the intense sensation of pain had washed over him.

He let out a weak gasp as the machines began to sound an alarm.

His apparent status had awakened the bushy haired witch, whom he vaguely recalled as Hermione Jean Granger, his insufferable know it all Gryffindor student for the past six years at Hogwarts.

Her amber eyes widened as she took in the sight of his open obsidian eyes.

"HARRY!" she shouted seemingly overjoyed at his apparent awakening. "HARRY GET IN HERE, HE'S AWAKE!"

In a matter of seconds, Harry James Potter had come racing into what appeared to Snape to be a bedroom. The machines had continued to go haywire as Harry checked him over carefully with his wand. _Since when does Potter have medical expertise? And why am I in a strange bedroom?_

"Professor...Professor Snape can you hear me?" asked Harry seemingly overjoyed to see the ailing wizard awake as well.

Snape opened his mouth but found that he could not make a sound aside from a pain-filled gasp. His eyes widened in worry as he recalled what Nagini and Voldemort had done to him in the shrieking shack.

"Harry...it's too soon." said Hermione pressing her hand to Snape's forehead. "His vocal cords haven't been used in nearly six months."

 _Six Months? I've been like this for six months? What the hell is going on here?_

The Potions Professor had clearly been quite upset by revelation of being in this condition for nearly 180 days.

"Calm down Professor." said Hermione in a pleasant tone as she continued to stroke his sallow pale cheek.

Snape had not been accustomed to being touched but there was little he could do to deter her strange need to show him affection.

"We'll tell you everything you need to know about what happened after the shrieking shack but for now get some rest sir." said Harry his voice had been strangely filled with a hint of admiration.

 _What the hell planet am I on? Harry Potter going out of his way to help me recover? Hermione Granger, well I'm not all that surprised by her...she's had a school girl's crush that I've tried to deter for years. Lockhart...indeed._

"We'll let you get some rest Professor." said Harry making a point to pull Hermione out of the room to give the Potions Master some privacy.

Snape had been unable to move his body despite the pressing urge to urinate. With Potter and Granger gone the Potions Master felt less exposed as he noted the coursing urine that left his body and filling the strange clear tube that had been near this bed side. The dour wizard's eyes widened when he realized that he had been subject to using a catheter.

Given all the innovations in the wizarding world, these two former students have taken to using primitive muggle medical devices to see to his care. He supposed that it could have been worse but they had not been anywhere the expertise of Poppy Pomfrey. Somehow the Potions Professor had guessed that the old bastard had gotten him again for whatever it was worth, the bigger picture coming together, with Dumbledore conspiring to keep him alive long enough for both Potter and Granger to save him following the events of the final battle of Hogwarts.

It had been a well played move on the part of the old Headmaster, and in all honestly, something Slytherin in tact.

 _You've won this round old man...but this is far from over._

Unable to do much more, Snape found himself becoming quite tired and closed his heavy pale eyelids, but not before getting a glimpse of a certain bushy haired witch sneaking into the room to take her place at his bedside once more.


	11. Chapter 10:The World's Most Intellectua

**Chapter 10:** _ **The World's Most Intellectually Profound Nurse Maid**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...late post}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Reader And Reviewers...Enjoy S.S**_

 _ **{"I paid my last respects this mornin' on an early grave...Already said goodbye, nothin' left to say...A tiny church a tiny town and not a tear was spent...Not how I wanted it, I'm hating all of this...Well I'm hating, all of this...I'm hating, all of this...All of this, all of this...I've been a loser all my life, I'm not about to change...If you don't like, there's the door, nobody made you stay...There ain't a woman on the planet who can deal with it...Just how I wanted it, I'm hating all of this..."} Woke Up This Morning, Nickelback**_

 _12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

 _ **W**_ hen Severus Snape opened his eyes for the second time he found himself still in bed and unable to move his body. Everything seemed to hurt all at once, the sun showing brightly through the crack in the thick drapes had been more than a little annoying as it seemed to chose to beam right into his already exhausted face. The Potions Master had not recalled life being this difficult, nor this much of a nuisance as he tried his best to keep a lid on the boiling rage, which seemed to be the only thing he could feel as of late. He had observed that Hermione Granger came into his room like clock work, as if she had some sort of charm cast that would often tell her if he had been awake. He saw less of the illustrious Harry Potter, hero of the wizarding world. Possibly the only silver-lining to this whole affair.

"Good morning Professor." said Miss Granger her, amber eyes washing over his body with a low aspect of something he had hardly recognized. "Let's see about getting you cleaned up and well off for breakfast."

Snape had believed he misheard her for a moment. _D-Did she say she was going to bathe him? There was no way in hell...why was she looking at him that way?_

Hermione offered him a small smile and blushed a bit as she let him see the small bucket full of water and the gentle yellow sponge that floated above the small soap bubbles.

The dutiful witch moved over to the Potions Professor whom had fixed her with a furious glare that by his standards was the equivalent of "If you think I am going to willingly let you fondle my person Granger you have another thing coming."

Unfortunately for Snape, Hermione either didn't register his complaint in his glare or she was flat out ignoring him. She continued to move about setting up to sponge him off and carefully opened his dressing gown in a bid to get him relatively clean. The enraged wizard had been trying to figure out why they had not used magic and the look on his face seemed to echo that effect when Hermione smiled again.

"I'm sorry...Professor...It was much easier to do this while you were sleeping..." she said still with a slight blush.

 _I'll bet it was._ He thought bitterly.

Snape rolled his eyes knowing now the extent of his humiliation had not stopped at unconsciousness. Hermione for her part had been careful and polite as she could be when she wet the sponge and pressed it's warmth into his exposed pale flesh. The Potions Master let out a slight groan against his will as the witch continued to wipe him down rather slowly with the heated sponge. He could feel it against his skin trying not to relish the sensation of the young witch's wayward fingers as they slowly crept across his exposed skin as she moved.

He closed his eyes unable to hide the pleasure the sensation of her touch caused him to feel. It had been so long since anyone had touched him, let alone intimately wither they meant to or not. Recalling that Granger was his student and that she should not have been touching him, the Potions Master did his best to struggle against his own longing.

As she continued to gently clean him with the sponge, Hermione ran her curious fingers across various scars that littered his skin. He seemed to pay them no mind, no doubt wishing to get the bathing over as quickly as possible.

"You are very brave Professor." said Hermione meeting his eyes for the first time since she had begun bathing him. "I don't think anyone could have survived what you've endured."

 _Naturally._ He thought as he kept taking long slow breaths. _No one else is as despised as I am._

The bushy haired witch sighed as she continued his bath and Snape resigned himself to just allowing her to finish her work. He had become rather nervous when she had changed the bag that held his urine. His inability to feel his lower body had not been lost on him, the numbness and pain had been quite present as it would seem everywhere else.

His worried expression must have gotten Hermione attention.

"There was a good deal of swelling." she said. "F-From the venom...we've managed to cure you but it still had something of an effect...you should retain motor function but it will prove difficult to train your muscles and build them back up."

Snape blinked in appreciation for the information. He had believed he was going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life.

Hermione smiled at him as she brought a conjured soft cloth near his cock. Snape's eyes widened as he noted the young witch being near this part of his anatomy. She had not seemed all that bothered, or rather...she had not seemed to be surprised by what she saw. Snape deduced that she must have been doing this a lot longer than he had realized.

"It's okay Professor." she said in a failed attempt to soothe him. "I've gotten pretty good at this...so your in good hands."

Snape fought the urge to roll his eyes, he had not even known if he could pull off such an expression given how weak he had been but without speech it was definitely his only means of expression his discontent. Hermione Granger gently slid the sponge along Snape's nether regions brushing ever so slightly against his cock. Snape wished he could get away from the witch but his body didn't seem to want to obey him. Given all that he had suffered during the war one would think a young witch bathing his cock would have been pleasant. But this was not just any young witch, this was the bushy haired know it all that he had been teaching since she had been twelve years old.

The awkwardness of what she was doing had not been lost on Hermione either, but she had aimed to keep things professional at best and ensure that Snape was at least less weird-ed out given she had studied muggle medical care as well as that of magical in a bid to care for him, given his status as both a traitor and a war hero, Snape had little choice in nurse maid's given Harry and her lack of trust in anyone else looking after him.

Hermione continued to run the warm wet sponge across his body doing her best to keep from causing him unnecessary pain.

She finished with as much care as she had begun dressing him comfortably and finally leaving the room. After several minutes she returned with a tray of what looked to be soup. At first Snape thought to ignore her and possibly await her leaving him be but unbeknownst to him, his stomach was growling as if he hadn't eaten in quite some time despite being fed the day before.

The bushy haired witch carefully moved into position spoon feeding the ailing Potions Professor as he slowly took in the warm soup. The warmth felt good on his aching muscles as it slid down his throat and he found himself wanting more. The taste he couldn't be sure of as his brain evidently needed to restart in a bid to identify a few things.

Still he enjoyed what he could of the soup and her company despite himself. He had spent a good deal of time alone in the dark, and Miss Granger appeared to be making a decent effort.

After his feeding, Snape had felt quite tired causing Hermione to leave him in relative peace after cleaning him up again. He spent a few moments contemplating his new set of circumstances before drifting off into a rather deep sleep.

 _The Sitting Room, Gimmauld Place..._

Harry James Potter sat by the fire staring out into the dancing flames as he contemplated the condition of the Potions Professor. He and Hermione had taken special care to keep Snape hidden from the wizarding world and given their opinion of him following the news of his murdering Dumbledore, it wasn't hard to see why. There had been a great many people whom would jump out of the wood work in a bid to finish off the ailing Potions Professor.

"How is he?" asked Harry looking up from the flames and into the amber eyes of his best friend.

"He's resting." replied Hermione. "I think that bath took a lot out of him."

Harry nodded in understanding.

"You look tired." he said softly. "Get some rest...I'll look after him for a bit."

Hermione shook her head.

"I'm fine." she replied. "Besides, I'll just worry about him and ruin my sleep any way."

Harry sighed turning his attention back to the fireplace.

"He saved me." he said softly. "All those times...and all I ever did was accuse him of being a terrible person."

"Don't Harry..." said Hermione putting a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "That's over now...you were willing to help him when no one else would."

"You would." said Harry looking back at the bushy haired witch. "You knew all along that Snape wasn't as bad as he seemed."

Hermione couldn't argue that. She had always taken care to keep her admiration for Snape a secret while being respectful of him despite his demeanor give his status as Potions Professor.

"I can't believe I never took the time to notice it." said Harry still unable to come to terms with all that he saw in the pensive. "It's why he and I never got along...his life was always full of so much pain...I mean my childhood wasn't pleasant but it wasn't as tragic as his...I had people who loved and cared for me even when I didn't know their names...Snape...Snape had no one...not even as a child."

Hermione sighed. She too had seen the memories after cornering a very disturbed Harry following the final battle. The green eyed wizard had been adamant about finding the Potions Professor and feared the worst as he entered the shrieking shack. Snape had barely been holding by a thread when they found him beaten and bloodied in the darkness.

"I'll stay with him again tonight...just to make sure he's really progressing." said the bushy haired witch. "You can have the morning shift...just take it easy and don't do anything to upset him."

Harry smirked thinking back to all the times he had upset the Potions Professor.

"I think upsetting Snape comes naturally to me Hermione." he said with a smirk.

It was the first time the worried young Gryffindor wizard had dared to joke since the end of the war. He spent a good deal of time obsessing over Snape's care and whom he could trust to ensure the wizard made a full if not decent recovery.

"For your sake as well as his own, try and get along with him during the visit Harry." said Hermione in a serious tone.

Harry nodded knowing all too well that she had been right, It wouldn't do to upset Snape now.

"I hear you." he said resigned. "I'll make an effort not to ruffle his feathers."

The bushy haired witch simply smirked and the small joke between them provided a bit of amusement before it

He turned his attention back to the fireplace and Hermione made her way back upstairs and into Snape's designated bedroom.

 _Snape's Bedroom..._

The Potions Professor had been asleep by the time the bushy haired witch made her way back into his room. She pulled up a chair and made herself comfortable as she could manage. She had not forgotten about the intimate moment they shared while she was washing him. It had been rather difficult to keep her mood professional given that she was quite shocked at his apparent reaction to her washing him. She wondered despite not having time to test her theory that he had retained some feeling in his lower body despite his injuries at the hands of Voldemort following their final confrontation during the battle of Hogwarts.

His coma had left his body weak and barely functional given his condition when she and Harry found him. He had been asleep for six months and it didn't look like he would make it for a while.

The amber eyes of the watchful witch shifted from the Professor's sallow pale face down to his lean chest rising and falling with his labored breathing. Following her view of his memories, Hermione knew all too well that life had not been easy for Severus Snape. She had shed more than her fair share of tears when Harry explained Snape's unrequited love for his mother and the effect her murder had on the dour wizard causing even more pain than he endured before hand.

It had been a truly inspiring tale, although she knew first hand that Snape wouldn't think so.

After a few more moments of deeply repressed thought provoking questions, Hermione fell asleep beside the Potions Professor.


	12. Chapter 11:The Haunted Form Of Misery

**Chapter 11:** _ **The Haunted Form Of Misery**_

 _ **{A/N: Here's another update...Happy Holidays...typing this with a cold...so if it sounds off blame the meds...}**_

 _ **My Thanks To All My Reader And Reviewers...Enjoy S.S**_

 _ **{"She fills my bed with gasoline...You think I wouldn't notice...Her mind's made up...The love is gone...I think someone's trying to show us a sign...That even if we thought it would last...The moment would pass...My bones will break and my heart would give...Oh, it hurts to live...It hurts to breathe...Well every time that you're not next to me...Her mind's made up...The girl is gone...And now I'm forced to see...I think I'm on my way...Oh, it hurts to live today...Oh and she says "Don't you wish you were dead like me?"..."} Theory Of A Deadman**_

 _12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World..._

 _ **H**_ _aunting emerald green eyes peered through the darkness as they met the cold obsidian gaze of the Potions Master. Lengthy, flowing, red hair had been like fire as it came wrapping about her shoulders as she moved closer to him. The expression an emotionless mask as she slipped into the covers her body just as bare as the day she was born, her fair complexion a treat for the eye as her shapely form still retained it's everlasting youth. His heart beat wildly within his chest as he reached out cupping her supple cheek as she looked up at him. Without a moment's hesitation, he reached out and pulled her to him basking in the warmth of her slender form and soft lips as they pressed against his pale ones. He had wanted her for so long and it seemed that she was right for the taking._

 _"Severus." she said in a breathless tone as she straddled his lap._

 _Snape felt a bit of pain shoot through his cock as he watched her naked form come into contact with his own nude form._

 _"I've missed you." she said into his ear._

 _"I've missed you too." he replied ignoring the continued sensation of pain in his cock. He had been more than ready to show her just how much when she suddenly pulled back and looked up at him._

 _"It seems you've hurt yourself." she said with an expressionless look on her face._

 _Snape ignored her for a moment until the sensation of pain increased and before long it was all he could focus on._

 _"Professor." said Lily meeting his eyes. "Professor wake up."_

 _Snape arched an eyebrow at this turn of events. Lily had no idea that he had become a Potions Professor. Come to think of it she would never have addressed him by his title._

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The Potions Master in question found himself back in the familiar bed he occupied at 12 Grimmauld Place. The darkness of the bedroom had been put off by the sudden burst of light from a well timed charm spell via Hermione Granger. Snape had been confused when he noted that instead of being in the chair like always, she had been at his side or rather he had pulled her into bed with him, not all the way but just enough to cause the sudden sharp sense of pain from him dislodging the catheter.

She did a few spells for cleansing and to dull the incredible amount of pain he had been in.

"Professor." she said evenly ignoring the fact that he had kissed her in the wake of his dream. "Professor Snape...you have to wake up now."

Snape dropped her as soon as the realization donned on him. He had not been in the mood to hash out his current behavior in relation to the dream kiss. It was already pathetic to not she was his new nurse maid.

Highly embarrassed from the lack of self control his dream had forced upon him, he simply folded his arms across his chest and refused to look at her. Hermione seemed to understand as she quietly went about repairing the damage he had done and settling the room back in a bid to allow him more sleep. Snape seemed intent on staying awake given what the last dream had led to.

 _Lily's eyes. He had always been haunted by Lily's emerald green eyes._

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Upon awakening the first thing he saw had been Lily's emerald green eyes. To say the Potions Master had been shocked was an understatement. He had been near about ready to leap from the bed and start casting various hexes when Harry Potter made himself known. Snape blinked gripping the sheets as if his life depended upon it.

"Professor...calm yourself it's only me." said Harry trying his best to put the ailing man's mind at ease.

 _How Potter thinks his presence is any more welcome than a ghost I will never know._

Snape's obsidian eyes focused on the green eyed wizard. His expression shifted into a grimace as he pulled away from Harry's secured grasp. In not time Hermione Granger emerged from the shadows of the other rooms with a tray intent on bathing him as well as what she managed to throw together for breakfast.

"I'll take it from here Harry." she said skillfully. "We wouldn't want to upset him further and possibly halt his recovery."

Harry sighed knowing all too well that she had been right. He took one last look at the ailing Professor and left Hermione to her routine. The bushy haired witch set to work clearing the covers as well as Snape's unsavory attire for the evening. He had attempted in vain of course to cover himself but she was intent on ensuring he had gotten cleaned with that damned sponge.

After his bath, Hermione spoon fed Snape another hearty soup combination and he was left to rest for a few minutes before she returned this time with muggle physical therapy in mind.

The Potions Master had been put off by the idea of her physically touching him.

"Professor." she said softly with her delicate hands gripping his pale foot and massaging the sore muscles as she bent the leg.

Snape had been grateful for the minor movement despite his demeanor and her process of rebuilding his muscle had been well noted. Of course he wouldn't make it easy on her. He had a reputation to of unpleasantness to uphold.

His antics had little sway over her approach as she continued to help him work out his unused muscles. He figured this was the beginning of a routine for them and given her perfectionist attitude, he'd be able to walk again in no time. As far as talking went, he had not sustained any major damage via Voldemort slashing his throat open in a bid to force him to bleed out. His vocal cords were intact and if anything a little sore from his hoarse cries the previous few nights.

Snape had been surprised to find she had taken time to massage his aching neck as well to ensure the muscles were relaxed as a part of her routine.

When she finished, The Potions Master had felt at least marginally better and a good deal sore. The bushy haired witch took her leave of him again and he was permitted to rest without interruption until the next time she barged into his rooms with the intention of feeding him. Given the scope of her routine, Snape found comfort in the familiar and before he knew it days turned to weeks and weeks into another two months before he was able to get out of bed and apply some more effort to his developing motor skills.

He still chose to keep silent not at all wishing to let on that he could engage either of the meddlesome Gryffindors in conversation.

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Snape had been well enough to get about his own rooms and of course suffer through his own meals after a time. He found himself more restless than he had been in a very long time sitting in the darkness of his appointed bedroom. His wayward thoughts. Her eyes had been the most haunting, he recalled gazing into those lifeless orbs when last he saw her murdered by the dark lord and sprawled about her one year old son's bedroom. She had given her life for the little runt. A bit of bitterness seeping into his mood as he thought back to Harry Potter's reckless antics that nearly made that sacrifice amount to nothing.

The boy was on his own.

He no longer needed to keep watch over him nor throw himself into every obstacle the boy faced. He was a grown man now after all and entitled to fend for himself as so many others had to making a place in this world.

The Potions Master sighed thinking rather pleasantly back to the bushy haired witch's much appreciated assistance. Hermione Granger seemed to be the only witch capable of accomplishing the impossible if the war had been any indication. She had gone to war with intolerable _Pureblood_ supremacist despots and come out in one peace which had been more than he could say for many of the other _Muggle-borns_ that began their new lives at Hogwarts only to find themselves slaughtered in the wake of the war.

After a few more hours of uninteresting mental examination of his circumstances, the newly exhausted Potions Master turned in for the night.


End file.
